The present invention relates to vehicle tailgates, and more particularly to vehicle tailgates that include a multifunction assembly extendable therefrom.
Conventionally, pickup trucks include a tailgate at the back of a bed that closes off a cargo box. Often times, the truck bed is not long enough to hold the cargo, so truck bed extenders have been developed. The truck bed extenders work in conjunction with the tailgate in order to provide additional length to the bed. Some designs for pickup truck bed extenders have flush mounted extenders that are stowed in the tailgate when not in use. Being out of sight when not in use presents a more attractive vehicle, but these designs also require a separate handle to disengage latching mechanisms, which can be very inconvenient for the operator to reach and unnecessarily complicate the tailgate release mechanisms. Other designs for bed extenders mount to the outside of the tailgate, which may be convenient for deployment and avoid concerns with deployment mechanisms, but they tend to interfere with cargo space in the box since the bed extender, when not in use, protrudes into the box. Moreover, it is typical for the vehicle operator to employ the extender only occasionally, so it is undesirable to have the extender exposed at all times, which detracts from the attractiveness of the vehicle.
Another drawback with common bed extenders is that a desirable feature of conventional tailgates may be lost. That is, a conventional tailgate has an ornamental plastic tailgate molding mounted along its top surface. It is meant to provide a surface along which cargo can be slid into the bed without the concern of rusting due to paint being scraped off.
Additionally, it is desirable to have a bed extender that can provide other functions in addition to a bed extender, such as a box extender and an assist step. Such functions may be provided with simple ergonomic operation of the assembly, while still allowing for an attractive appearance for the vehicle when the bed extender is stowed during periods of non-use.
Thus, it is desirable to have a vehicle tailgate with a bed extender that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.